My April Challenge - Day 10

In an attempt to try something different, I thought I would try the Raynox to capture those little curly stamens on the humble dandelion. They have always intrigued me. You can only see them in macro shots.

When I took this shot today, I was amazed to see all the pollen sticking to the stamens - impossible to see with the human eye. It is not surprising that so many people suffer from hay fever if a single dandelion has so much pollen. There must be masses of it floating around.

My April Challenge - Day 9

The weather has deteriorated. There has been light rain on and off all day. This is going to make my challenge difficult.

Today's flower is the Cuckoo Flower, so-called because they flower at the time the cuckoos return from Africa. They are a bit out of sync this year because I have heard no cuckoos yet.

These flowers also attract the Orange-tip butterfly.

My April Challenge - Day 8

Dull for most of the day, but there was a little brightness this afternoon.

The Kerria bushes seem to be doing really well this year. I have two of these shrubs and they are both covered in blossom. They obviously don't mind the drought conditions.

My April Challenge - Day 7

Not a good day today. The weather was grey with a sprinkle of rain.

I tried photographing various things but nothing seemed to work. This Forget-me-not was the best shot from today. I am reasonably happy with it. They are pretty little flowers.

My April Challenge - Day 6

More time for photography today because of the Easter holiday. I managed to take this shot while the sun was out and before the wind blew up. This is pear blossom. The apple blossom is not out yet.

My April Challenge - Day 5

A cold, dull day with still no rain. A hosepipe ban starts today in this area because of the drought. These periwinkles don't seem to mind the lack of rain.

My April Challenge - Day 4

While parts of the country are covered in snow, we have still hardly had any rain. Here is the day 4 offering.